Eagles at Lions
►Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Ford Field, Detroit
►TV/radio: Fox/97.1
►Records: Lions 0-7, Eagles 2-5
►Line: Philadelphia by 3.5
Detroit News contributor Steve Kornacki breaks down the Lions’ Week 8 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles:
Key matchup
LIONS’ RUSHING OFFENSE VS. EAGLES’ FRONT SEVEN
Opponents have insisted on running the ball against Philadelphia.
The 227 rushing attempts it has defended are the most in the NFL — even though its 4.1 yards per attempt allowed are tied for eighth fewest in the league. The Lions, Jets and Broncos share that ranking with the Eagles.
So, will this be the week Detroit runs more than usual?
Only seven NFL teams have fewer rushing attempts than the Lions’ 165.
But Detroit coach Dan Campbell noted that D’Andre Swift is “growing exponentially,” and said earlier this week: “We’ll find runs that suit him best and let him go a little bit.”
Swift had eight catches for 96 yards (10th-highest yardage by a back in franchise history) with 13 carries for 48 yards Sunday in Los Angeles against the Rams. So, he’s a handful for defensive coordinators to consider.
Lions offensive guards Halapoilivaati Vaitai and Jonah Jackson are strong run-blockers, and can pull or grind it out up the middle.
Jamaal Williams leads Detroit with 312 yards rushing and Swift has 262 on the ground with a team-high 391 receiving yards.
Philadelphia has defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (39 tackles, six sacks) and linebacker Alex Singleton (team-high 44 tackles), a former CFL standout, seeing to it that no opponent has exceeded 26 yards on a run. Hargrave hails from South Carolina State — which happens to be the alma mater of Lions all-time sacks leader Robert Porcher.
Pro Bowl end Brandon Graham (59 sacks, 477 tackles career) who played collegiately at Michigan is on the Eagles’ injured reserve list.
Eagles to watch
►Darius Slay, CB: A two-time Pro Bowler with Detroit (2018-19) and an All-Pro pick in 2017, when he had eight interceptions and 60 tackles. Slay is playing against the Lions for the first time since they traded him in 2020 for third- and fifth-round draft picks. He has two picks and 21 tackles for Philadelphia this season after continuing his Pro Bowl streak with them last year.
►Jalen Hurts, QB: He’s a dual-threat with 1,716 yards passing and 361 on the ground. Hurts was a second-round pick in 2020, and was Coach Nick Sirianni’s choice to replace Joe Flacco as this season’s starter. Hurts has struggled (10 touchdowns to four interceptions) with a key red-zone fumble a week ago in the loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Flacco was traded Monday to the New York Jets and Hurts is getting an opportunity to show how he accumulated 3,851 yards passing and 1,298 rushing in 2019 as the Heisman Trophy runner-up for Oklahoma.
►Devonta Smith, WR: The first Heisman-winning receiver since Wolverine Desmond Howard in 1991 has 32 catches for a team-high 406 yards with one touchdown. Smith (6-foot, 170 pounds) might be small, but showed he’s capable of big things with seven catches for 122 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. He had 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns as an unstoppable element in 2020 at Alabama.
Facts and figures
►The Lions have more first downs than opponents (151-141) but the other guys have 22 touchdowns to Detroit’s 13.
►Detroit hangs tough in what has been a tough season. While winless in seven games, the Lions have lost five games by 10 points or fewer.
►Both the Eagles and Detroit attempted on-side kicks in their last games, but only the Lions made good on recovering the ball.
►The Lions’ next home game is Nov. 25 (Thanksgiving) with the Chicago Bears for nearly four weeks between Ford Field appearances.
Steve Kornacki is a freelance writer.